Rivals
by peroxidepest17
Summary: The beginning of a violent, but beautiful relationship.


**Title: **Rivals  
**Universe:** Reborn  
**Theme/Topic: **N/A  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Character/Pairing/s:** Ryohei, Hibari, Tsuna, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Reborn, Kyoko  
**Warnings/Spoilers:** None I can imagine.  
**Word Count:** 1,031  
**Summary:** The beginning of a violent, but beautiful relationship.  
**Dedication:** swinku- I LOVE YOU. SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU:P**  
A/N:** For encouragement for swinku's essay during finals. ONLY YOU COULD GET ME TO DO THIS WHEN I OWE TEN OTHER STORIES.  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine, though I wish constantly.  
**Distribution:** Just lemme know.

* * *

Ryohei wasn't the kind of person who got resentful after being beaten in a fight, because that simply meant he'd come up short somehow in the end, that it was his fault when he was defeated and he couldn't blame his opponent for being stronger than him.

He just had to train hard and improve.

So when Hibari knocked him on his ass quite literally with one hit of that menacing baton, Ryohei didn't hold it against the other boy.

Instead he grinned up at the victor in awe after he lost, and even though his head was kind of bleeding everywhere, managed to regain enough of his faculties so that he could lift his hand and offer the dark-haired boy an approving thumbs up. "Great technique!" he declared, and sounded even cheerful about it.

Hibari stared at him. "Are you an idiot?"

Ryohei only laughed. "Let's fight again one day, okay?"

Hibari blinked. Then sighed. "I don't doubt I'll be reigning in a troublemaker like you more often than I'd like."

Ryohei's heartbeat sped up in anticipation at the admission—he thought perhaps, it was the birth of a great new rivalry. Something that would help spur him towards his dreams, to make him a stronger man. "So then it's a promise!" he breathed, excited.

Hibari stared. "You really are an idiot," he murmured, before turning around and leaving without a backwards glance.

Ryohei watched him go and was glad that they'd agreed to be friends from here on out.

When he reminded Hibari about it the very next day on the way to school, the dark-haired boy blinked at him and said, "I never agreed to that."

"Sure you did!" Ryohei reminded him, and punched him playfully in the shoulder.

At the unwanted contact, Hibari elbowed him in the nose, maybe in a slightly less playful manner.

Ryohei pinched it to stem off the blood flow and grinned. "Yesterday, when you agreed we could fight lots! Now we're friends."

"How many blows to the head have you taken in your lifetime?"

"More'n twenty, why?"

Hibari sighed. "We're _not_ friends."

Ryohei looked stricken. "Really?"

The other boy paused at Sasagawa's tone and studied him for a moment. "I hardly know you," he added, without knowing why he was doing it. "It would be impossible and highly imprudent to be friends just like that."

Ryohei's nose was still bleeding when he let go of it, but it was beginning to slow anyway. Hibari suppressed a shudder at the mess that was the boxer's face. "Well that's easy to fix! We'll just have to get to know each other better," he exclaimed, and patted the other boy heartily on the back.

On contact, Hibari instinctively clocked him in the jaw.

The other boy staggered backwards, but didn't stop grinning. "Wow, you're really good at that. Fast," he marveled cheerfully, before shaking his head so he could refocus his eyes. "But like I was saying… we just have to get to know one another better and then we'll be best friends!"

Hibari stared. "We do…"

"Yup!"

"I don't think…"

"I like fighting," Ryohei started, enthusiastically. "And… training. Protein shakes! Um… my sister's nice too. And I like her friends. Ooh, my dream is to become the Japan middleweight champion! I love reading Ippo…"

Hibari's head was starting to ache.

"Once, when I was five, a dog bit me. Wanna see the scar?"

"No… I…"

Ryohei pulled down his pants. "See? It's kind of vicious, huh? But I fought that dog back with my own two hands and…"

Hibari's face reddened. "Please put your pants back on."

"Oh, sorry!" the boxer looked around like he just remembered they were in public, and pulled his pants back up. His nose was still bleeding a little, and the dark-haired boy winced when he saw some of it drip onto Ryohei's jacket sleeve.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, before handing it to Sasagawa. "You're making a mess," he said, in a manner that was supposed to be both disgusted and chastising.

"Thanks!" Ryohei said (clearly missing both the disgust and the chastisement), before promptly blowing his nose into the square of cloth. Hibari winced. "See?" the boxer said when he was done, "it's like we're best friends already!" He put a large hand on Hibari's shoulder and squeezed a little, happy.

Hibari instinctively stomped on his foot.

"Please stop talking to me."

"Oh! Right. It's your turn to tell me about you!" Ryohei exclaimed. "Sorry, I get over-excited about things sometimes."

Hibari kept walking.

"What's your favorite color?" Ryohei asked, and lengthened his strides to catch up.

No answer.

"Food?"

No answer.

"I'll bet it's yakitori. You look like a yakitori kinda guy."

Silence.

"Am I right? I bet I'm right."

Hibari punched him in the face. His nose started bleeding again.

Behind them, Tsuna and company stared, giving the duo a wide berth even if it meant they might all be late to class. "When did they start walking together?" Tsuna murmured after a moment, clearly bewildered.

Gokudera shrugged. "Whatever, they both look like idiots walking side by side and punching one another every three seconds. What are they, five?"

Yamamoto grinned. "I dunno, I think it's kinda funny."

Gokudera elbowed him in the stomach. "No one asked you, dumbass."

"I bet they'll become great friends," Kyoko theorized optimistically. "Niisan is really likeable."

Everyone winced when Hibari slammed his palm into Ryohei's solar plexus.

"Hey, that's a pretty cool move," Yamamoto whistled.

Gokudera snorted. "Only you would think that." Pause. Grin. "Here, tell me how it feels."

He slammed his palm into Yamamoto's chest.

"Hurts," Yamamoto reported, faithfully.

"We've gathered a good family," Reborn acknowledged, from where he was casually lounging atop Tsuna's head.

Tsuna sighed.

That week, Ryohei suffered two broken ribs.

He took it at a sign that it was the beginning of a great rivalry-slash-friendship.

Hibari in the meantime, did extensive research into the Sasagawa family history for any signs of hereditary mental illness.

Ryohei took Hibari's interest in his family as a sign that they were officially best friends forever now.

Tsuna just hoped he didn't die.

**END**


End file.
